


Date Night

by JD_meister



Series: General Nefarious Shipping Week 2020 [1]
Category: Ratchet & Clank
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Lance and Janice, Vorselon is also there but only in passing really, a pairing so rare here it doesnt have an actual relationship tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:54:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27088945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JD_meister/pseuds/JD_meister
Summary: Date night comes around once more, and for once in his life the good doctor actually has a quiet idea.
Relationships: Cassiopeia/Dr. Nefarious
Series: General Nefarious Shipping Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1977172
Comments: 7
Kudos: 8





	Date Night

**Author's Note:**

> Day One of the General Nefarious Ship Week. The theme: Lance and Janice.
> 
> I have a different ship planned for each day of the week, to challenge myself, and today we start off with Cassiopeia, that fantastic Valkyrie warrior who's name I continually struggle to spell correctly.

#### Nefarious Space Station, Bernilius Sector, Breegus System, 18:04:16 local time

Cassiopeia, supreme leader of the Valkyries, left her war ship docked in the main hangar bay and followed the escort sent out to meet her. One of the many trembling, robotic troopers stationed here had been dispatched as her guide to Dr. Nefarious private office and living quarters. Not that she needed to be shown. She knew the path well enough by now. 

What piqued her curiosity was why the doctor himself had not come down to greet her, as he usually did whenever life took her here. Was he wrapped up in work? Had he forgotten what this night was?

The trooper was rattling and shaking to a terrible degree now they were stood outside the door to her destination. There was the vague murmur of voices from the other side of the door. He – was it a he? - continued to shake as he considered the door controls, one clawed hand hovering in the air in terrified consideration.

Really, why did Nefarious bother with such robots?

“Return to your post, soldier. I can show myself in.”

The cowering trooper almost collapsed with relief, stuttered a a mumbling thank you, and beat a rapid retreat back down the hallway.

The door controls were unlocked and Cassiopeia let herself in. There stood Vorselon, chattering away about something in his usual dramatic fashion, whilst Nefarious paced. A shimmering hologram of Lawrence also stood nearby, taking notes of the meeting.

Cyborg and robots alike stopped and turned to face her as she stepped through. Nefarious was the first to speak. “Cassie! God, is it that time already?! I swear, my head is on backwards today.”

“No more than usual, sir.” Lawrence quipped, although Nefarious didn't hear him. Vorselon sniggered. 

“Have you forgotten about me already, doctor?”

“I wouldn't dream of it Cassie.” Nefarious turned to Vorselon and Lawrence. “Both of you, clear off! I have an evening with a Valkyrie to attend to.”

Lawrence's hologram dissipated with nary another word. Vorselon slunk away in his usual fashion past Cassiopeia, nodding to her in farewell as he went.

“I was wondering what kept you.” 

“Vorselon had me tied up with work again. You know how it is.”

“He has that habit with people. So, what do you have planned for tonight?”

“Ah, yes, _that_. I was thinking something along the lines of a quiet night in.”

Him? Quiet? That would be the day.

“Are you still recovering from last week?”

“...Maybe.”

Last week was her turn to pick their activities. She had invited him round to the Valkyrie citadel for a personal tour of her war ship followed with a weapons demonstration out in space. He had great fun pummelling things to space dust with the ship's lasers and rocket barrages. There was even more fun to be had after a crew of space pirates decided they wanted in on the action too and started a fight.

Shooting pirates down was much more entertaining than blowing orphan moons to bits, especially if they fought back, boarded the ship, and instigated a huge melee fight. 

Cassiopeia had the time of her life. Nefarious perhaps less so, after he got conked on the head one too many times. She was surprised at the sheer durability of his skull; there wasn't a single crack in the green glass to be seen.

“I'd quite like to keep my skull intact tonight,” he said, as if he read her mind, “so I had an idea for something we could do inside.”

Nefarious pressed a button and part of the wall panelling slid away, revealing the storage section behind. He had the collector's editions of the entirety of Lance and Janice, or as far as the show had run for, lining two whole shelves. Box sets for other shows and assorted memorabilia filled the rest of the storage unit. Cassiopeia wondered what exorbitant price he had paid in order to have such a collection shipped over from the Solana galaxy. Or if he just sent Lawrence out with a van. She snapped back to reality when he started talking again.

“At first I thought 'Oh, we could watch Secret Agent Clank, everyone loves spy thrillers', but _then_ I thought 'No wait! We have to watch Lance and Janice, it's a classic, everyone should see it'.”

He found the box set he was looking for and straightened back up to face her. “You don't have Lance and Janice in Polaris, do you?”

“If we do I've never seen it. Maybe on some obscure channel at two in the morning... Libra would know.”

“The graveyard slot?! Ugh! It's worth so much more than that!”

Cassiopeia settled herself on the sofa as he set up the show and adjusted the room lighting until it was just the holovision set and the blue mood lighting from his wall aquarium breaking up the darkness. He was mumbling as he sorted everything out. “Right, you're here, they're gone, the holo is on...Everything's ready.” He brought his hands together with a metallic clap. “I'm all yours!” Satisfied that everything was set up just so, Nefarious wedged himself in beside her and pressed play.

### 

“Oh Lance, I don't believe it. This mysterious stranger...”

“Believe it Janice. A ghoul of the past, back for revenge. By the stars, if I could get my hands on him!”

Whilst Nefarious was completely absorbed in the show as if it were the first time he had ever seen it, Cassiopeia sat there thinking intently. She had heard the lead actor's and actress's voices somewhere else before, but just could not for the life of her place where.

On-screen the quiet drama looked set to turn as the mysterious stranger, some ghost from Lance's past if she was following correctly, approached from the shadows, gun drawn. The camera panned to Janice. 

“Lance! Look out!”

The stranger fired and Cassiopeia was struck with realisation. “Oh!” She exclaimed, making Nefarious jump. “Is this the show that plays from your head when your circuitry freezes?”

“When my what freezes now?”

“Your circuitry. This plays?”

He stared blankly at her, face completely still. If it wasn't for the gears whirring in his head she would have thought he was having another of his episodes.

Something must have clicked into place, for he promptly launched into a string of denial. “No. Of course not. What? No! Why would you think that? What? Don't be silly. That doesn't happen, and it certainly doesn't happen to me. I don't know what you're talking about.” He crossed his arms and looked away pointedly.

“...Perhaps I'm thinking of a different Nefarious.” 

“Yes, perhaps you are.” He said, side-eyeing her. 

They settled back in to watch, but Cassiopeia quickly realised she hadn't the faintest idea what was going on now. 

“Be a lamb and rewind it a bit, I lost my place.”

### 

The end credits had barely begun rolling when Nefarious turned to her. “Soooo, what do you think?”

Now _that_ was an excellent question. Cassiopeia was so far... uncertain. She was a woman of war. Drills and spars with her battle sisters were more to her taste in unwinding than import holovision, or really just holovision in general. That was more Libra's thing.

On the other hand, he had been very excited about introducing her to the show, and she had always found his enthusiasm sweet in its own way, whether it was for holo shows, galactic domination, or crushing the life out of their enemies. And it was, after all, the very first episode she had ever seen. A bit early yet to form a proper opinion. He was looking at her expectantly for her verdict. 

“It's interesting, and certainly...different.”

“Good different, or bad different?” Now he almost looked nervous, apprehensive even. 

“A good different. Why don't we watch some more and I can tell you properly what I think.”

“That's what I like to hear.”

### 

At some point during the seventh episode that evening, a buzzing went off from his desk and a tinny voice patched through into the comm system. “Sir? I have a report, sir?”

Nefarious grumbled and shoved off from the couch. “'Scuse me a moment.” He said softly, touching a hand to her shoulder before stalking over to his desk.

His hand smacked down on one of the buttons and he leant down to the comm. “Leave me alone!” He hissed, tone flipping like a switch. “I'm busy!” He cut off the comms just as quickly again and settled back down with Cass.

“Problems?”

“It's nothing.”

Not even ten minutes later his phone started ringing. “Damn it!” 

He stomped away to stand outside the room. “Do you want me to pause it for you?” Cassiopeia called after him.

“No thanks. I'll just be a moment.”

He stepped through and the door shut. Cassiopeia paused the show anyway, just so she could listen to the doctor rant at the silly minion on the other end of the line.

“DO YOU MIND?!?!” He exploded. She had always admired how he could project his voice. He should be giving lessons to some of the quieter Valkyries. “Didn't I tell you I was busy?! No, don't even try and give me your report! This is my night with Cassiopeia, and I won't have you ruin it with work! I'm not interested in what you have to say! If any of you try contacting me again tonight I will dismantle you all! GOODBYE!!!”

There was a very faint sigh on the other side of the door before it opened and he stepped back though. 

“What?” Ah. He must have noticed the fact that she was laughing behind her hand. 

“Ohh, nothing. I just enjoy listening to the way you handle your minions.”

He paced angrily, distracted. “I told them I would be busy! I told them!”

“I know you did.” She extended a hand out to him. “It's not your fault they are...” She searched for the right word.

He quickly supplied the answer, taking her waiting hand and letting himself be pulled down. “Morons?”

“Something like that.”

He sighed again and stretched out on the sofa, resting his head on her lap.

“This was supposed to be _our_ evening together. I wanted it to be just us, and we wouldn't have to think about work.”

“The night is still young, Nef. Come on, watch Lance and Janice with me. I think I'm starting to get into it now.”

“I should hope so! There's only two episodes left this season!”

“We're that far already? May as well start the next season after it.”

“Have I ever told you I love the way your mind works?” A wandering hand came up to caress her face. “Lance and Janice with my lovely, capable and very strong Valkyrie, who can absolutely crush a pirate with her bare hands; real life tomorrow.

“Any work problems today are a problem for tomorrow's me. I mean, what's the worst thing that could be happening right this second?”

“Don't say that, love, you'll only jinx yourself.”

**Author's Note:**

> I never actually played 'A Crack in Time', so I don't know Cassiopeia very well, but I do like her relationship with Nef. I hope I managed to write her ok. 
> 
> I often wonder if Nefarious knows that he broadcasts L&J whenever he has an episode. I wondered when I was little and I still wonder now. He probably does, but I think it would be funny for him to just point blank deny all knowledge of such a thing.


End file.
